


A fight without danger means a triumph without glory.

by TerresDeBrume



Series: Blanket Verse [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Conversations, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 19:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerresDeBrume/pseuds/TerresDeBrume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Babysitting Loki took a lot out of Tony.</p><p>He just didn't expect Loki to sound as tired as he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A fight without danger means a triumph without glory.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a really, really short sequel to [_Blanket Turtle_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/385441).  
>  I'm a little afraid of writing more in this verse for now, as I'm not sure I want to take the risk of a new series/multichaptered fic right now, so there may be more, or there may not.
> 
> Who knows.
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys will like it :)

They’re in the middle of their morning milk-and-cookies when there’s a burst of light, the sound of ripping fabric, and Tony finds himself seated in front of a very grown up and very naked god of mischief.

Tony has a very near brush with a heart attack but Loki, for his part, only ever looks mildly concerned, like sitting naked at a table for breakfast is something he does on a regular basis. (Then again you never know with Aliens, maybe it’s a tradition. Tony needs to ask Thor.)

He looks around the room, shrugs, and take a sip of a glass that doesn’t look too big for him anymore.

 

“So,” Tony comments when he’s gotten over the weird feeling of nostalgia spilling in his chest, “You done being a kid?”

“As you can see,” Loki answers.

 

Tony notices that the magic-suppressing handcuffs aren’t on his wrists anymore… so their absence wasn’t an illusion then. Then again, if Loki was able to de-age himself even with them on, they were either a) poor quality or b) not enough to tame a god. Seeing as Tony built the cuffs himself, he decides to go with option b.

That, however, isn’t the point of their present conversation.

 

“Well good thing,” Tony says, “you were a hurricane.”

 

Loki raises an eyebrow at him –and would you believe it, but he still looks dignified, even while sitting bare-assed at the kitchen table.

 

“First,” he says, “you shouldn’t try to lie to me. It’s only ever going to bring trouble to you.”

 

Ah, yes. God of lies. Tony kind of forgot about that, what with the apparent ban on lying during the past three weeks.

 

“What’s second, then?”

“I know for a fact that I was an extremely calm toddler. I highly doubt I broug you any trouble.”

“Yeah, aside from the whole being afraid of Thunder thing,” Tony says –and yes, he’s aware that his self-preservation instinct needs a serious check-up, thank you very much. “Which, by the way, how can  _you_ be afraid of Thunder? Your brother controls it!”

“Yes, via his anger. We were raised as brothers and my magic appeared much later than Thor’s affinity for lightning bolt… knowing for a fact that Thunder means the person you love most in the world is angry –often with you- is bound to create some intense reaction.”

 

So maybe Tony is struck speechless by Loki’s frank answer. He is, however, not ready to admit that, and decides to try and cover it with a long sip of his coffee –although if Loki’s smirk is anything to go by, it doesn’t really work. Oh well. Plausible deniability, in any case.

Or, well. Until he decides to push the subject, that is.

 

“It’s the first time I heard you say you loved Thor.”

“Of course I did,” Loki says like it’s obvious. “Hate such as the one I felt does not come from nowhere. There has to be a passive for it to grow. Mine was love.”

 

Loki is buttering his toast, looking at Tony straight in the eyes, and it’s weird. Weird because for a God of Lies, Loki is proving quite adept at using honesty like a weapon –and he’s not pulling his punches. Tony must admit, he’s surprised, and pleasantly so –even though he thinks someone needs to set him straight on Thor’s feelings for regarding him, really.

 

“Maybe you should tell him that, then,” he says instead.

“What, that he loves mortals more than he loves me, or any in Asgard? He knows this. I know this. The whole of Asgard knows this. I will not willingly engage in a losing fight. I tried that already, don’t you remember? All it brought me was trouble, the kind of which even you can’t dream.” He shrugs, but it looks painful, strained. “I suppose, here at least I have a chance.”

“Of what?” Tony asks, because after all, if curiosity’s going to kill the cat, it might as well do it properly.

“To find people who won’t forget me for the first mortal that passes.” Loki sighs and snaps is fingers, changing his milk into something that looks a lot like beer. “But that, of course, stays between us.”

“Or what?”

“Or nothing,” Loki sighs. “I’m tired of fighting. I’m just appealing on your generosity there.”

 

And you know what, it stinks of a trap, even more so when Loki disappears ten minutes later, taking one of Thor’s shirts with him. Tony knows he probably should tell something to someone.

But then he remembers the way Loki looked at him before he left, with eyes that reminded him of the little boy he’s had to babysit for three weeks.

 

He supposes there’ll be time to explain if anything goes wrong anytime soon.

 

(Nothing technically does, except for the fact that Loki drops from the radar entirely, and Tony spends months trying to figure out a way to tell Thor about that conversation with Loki.

 

It takes a year and a surprise encounter in an antique bookshop for Tony to find his words.) 

**Author's Note:**

> And as always, if you won't comment here, you can go and do it [there](http://fanfanwrites.tumblr.com/ask) :)


End file.
